The invention has primary application to raised floor systems using carpet tiles as a finished surface. Raised flooring, also called access flooring, is commonly found in commercial building over a cement slab.
Raised flooring systems usually include rectangular access floor panels made of metal. The access floor panels are reinforced or consist of metal covered composition wood cores. The panels are typically 2 feet by 2 feet steel or aluminum panels. The space below the panels is typically used for air flow, power, or voice and data cable trays.
The access floor panels may be installed in a gridless system or grid system. These systems vary in raised flooring system support, that is, the means of support for the access floor panels.
In gridless systems, pedestal heads are positioned beneath the corners of four abutting panels so that each access floor panel is supported by a pedestal at one of its corners. Each pedestal is typically capable of height adjustment. The top of the pedestal where the access floor panels are attached is called the pedestal head. Each access floor panel spans four pedestals and is usually screwed to the pedestals at each corner. Thus, in a typical raised-flooring installation in a gridless system, pedestals are attached to the cement slab to provide an elevated, fixed support for access floor panels laid atop the pedestals.
A grid system delivers increased stability and load capacity by connecting the pedestal heads using stringers, which are attached perpendicularly to the pedestal heads and arranged horizontally, that is, parallel to the subfloor. The grid system is configured when each stringer is registered with and positioned beneath an edge of a rectangular panel. The grid system provides the requisite additional support for each access floor panel along its entire periphery, rather than just at its corner.
Each carpet tile typically has the same dimensions as the access floor panel on which it is laid, which is usually 2 feet by 2 feet. Typical carpet tile has a backing to which the carpet pile or fibers are attached. A carpet tile may be attached with releasable adhesive or employ buttons on the bottom of the carpet backing to align with the holes in the access floor panel.